The ICN brings contemporary Japanese art to London

Connecting Shoreditch High Street Station and Old Street Station is the ever buzzing Great Eastern Street, which seems to be busy with people night and day. Located around the middle of all this is Leonard Street, and there sits a small glass fronted building that lines its walls with art that unmistakably exudes Japanese culture and its aesthetics.

We had the privilege to chat with ICN exhibition curator Hisami Omori, to investigate further into this intriguing space.

今回はICNの代表兼キュレーターの大森久美（おおもりひさみ）さんに、好奇心を存分にそそられるこのスペースについて、お話を伺いました。

Tell us what was the thinking behind ICN’s opening?

まずはじめにICNをオープンしたきっかけを教えていただけますか？

It was to spread green tea culture to Europe, and therefore to spread Japanese culture in a wider sense. To explain with more detail, our main business is green tea brand Shizuoka-cha (AOI)’s activities in spreading the word about green tea, and our priority is to showcase and introduce Japanese art through the brand. Incidentally in Japan, we operate non-profit organizations, planning and managing the likes of CCC (Centre for Creative Communication), Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in Shizuoka and the Pola Museum.

Is there a particular reason why you opened this art space in London, UK?

ここ、イギリスのロンドンという地にスペースをオープンさせたのには、何か特別な理由があったのでしょうか？

Yes, one of the main reasons London was chosen was because we thought it was the best place to start a ripple effect towards Europe. Here in London there is already an established market for Asian art, for example from China or India. However we noticed that in terms of Japanese art, there was only a market for antiques. There were no organizations or galleries which were dedicated to introducing contemporary Japanese art, and that was another big reason why we decided to open here.

Of course there are world famous galleries in London that showcase the work of superstar artists such as Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugimoto, yet there are so many exciting artists that are established to some extent in Japan but are unknown overseas. We wanted to make a space that provided the opportunity to present those artists.

However in terms of art, we’re still finding our way, and are in the stage of expanding our network. I think it will still take a bit of time to get the ICN to be an established and recognized space in London.

When you’re choosing your artists and installing their work, is there an aspect of Japanese or Asian culture and artwork that you consciously want people to take notice of through your exhibitions? If so, what aspects exactly?

We like to think of these as projects that we take on one at a time, rather than individual exhibitions. We fear that the inevitable situation is that the traditional methods of creating things are disappearing in Japan. Because of that situation we actively try and introduce artists and collectives who are continuing those traditional techniques in the present day, for example those who practice Ukiyo-e and Edo-period style paper mache. The present day techniques has been shaped by the past, so when we do showcase this kind of work, we’re aware that one needs to go back to the history of Japanese culture and connect it to modern day. Only when it is understood by our customers does it then lead to a sale, so during these early years we’re putting our strengths in educational activity related to the showcased work alongside our exhibitions, such as workshops, lectures and talks.

On the other hand, is it through the exhibitions that you will be able to see a trend in what is popular to people here?

逆にこちらに暮らす人に好まれやすい作品の傾向というのは、展覧会等を重ねるうちに見えてくるものなのでしょうか？

In that respect, we are still finding our feet. Probably the targeted pieces of work will depend on each buyer. Asian people largely tend to like pieces of work that put an emphasis on the aesthetic sense and the method of creation, whereas there seems to be a tendency for Europeans to value the concept and the idea more. This difference looks to be closely related to their respective art histories, however in-between this separation of ideals there is scope to find a combination of the two ways of evaluating art. Of course, it would be great if a piece of work was purchased by a person who is generally regarded as a “good collector” (i.e. one who protects and cherishes pieces of work forever), however there are also those who purchase artwork as an investment. In that case, the prioritised criteria would be about its future prospects, rather than if they like the piece or not. So there is a lot of variety.

Is there a particular exhibition that you have been especially impressed with so far?

今までにとりわけ印象に残っている展覧会はありますか？

For all of the artists we have showcased so far, it was their first time exhibiting in the UK. The video the ICN produced when we showcased Riusuke Fukahori who solely depicts goldfish went viral on sites like YouTube and Vimeo, which proceeded to spread his name internationally in one bound. When product designer Kouichi Okamoto made a sound installation especially for us, he was able to showcase it at the V&A’s ‘Digital Weekend’ having exhibiting it at a gallery in Japan too. Each project like this is handled by a team, which takes time and money. As the ICN is also not yet well known, we’d like to work with artists such as these so that we can grow together as a team.

When do you feel the rewards of running a gallery that you’ve started overseas?

特に国を超えて、ギャラリーを運営するやりがいはどのような時に感じますか？

The fact that the ICN is the only organization in London that introduces brand new contemporary artists from Japan makes it all worthwhile. We aim in the future to do as we always have done; to parallel the introduction of Japanese artists in the UK, and the same of artists from the UK in Japan.

It seems that although in its early stages, the ICN, established in October 2010, are heading to achieve something significant in raising the profile in Europe of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through art.

Being Japanese, not only do I look forward to the ICN’s future activities but also discovering with them a new ‘Japan’ here in London!